Advertising Prices for Work

Hi. I'm looking to start a small freelancing business doing websites and video editing and a few other things. I've seen several sites where they advertise their prices. You know, you can get a "basic" site of 3 pages for X amount of dollars. But what I've noticed is some of the best companies (or the ones whose work I like more) don't advertise their prices. Is this good or bad. I know people on small budgets always want to know how much it is going to cost first. And these same people can become discouraged easily when they see awesome work but no prices. They sometimes assume that the company is out of their budget. What's a nice place in between where I can attract the most clients. Because sometimes by the same token, a potential client might see it and think the sites are too cheap to be any good. Any help on this would be great!

Thanks

Not to say this is NEVER the case, but I have yet to see a quality shop that advertises is prices. My biggest argument against advertising prices is that no two projects are ever the same. Lets take your 3 page website as an example.

Client A wants a website and they have sat down and written out exactly what their business position is and have a well thought out sales pitch. They have high quality product photography and even examples of work they like and can tell you why they like it. All you have to do is come up with a few visual examples, take the copy and images and build a website...

Client B wants a website, but has no idea where to start. You ask what makes their business different and they say they're "thinking about it". The client would love to see photos on their site but what they have was taken with a cell phone at the company party. When you ask about styles, the client says they'll know it when they see it. In this case you have to help your client sift through content (probably writing most of it yourself). You'll spend hours cropping and recoloring photos so you can even tell what's in the picture. And on top of all that you'll go through revision upon revision of the site design because the client can't make up their mind.

Now if you publish your price (usually that price is assuming best case scenario which in my experience NEVER happens) Client B will almost single handedly put your business under because you'll be spending hours and hours of unbillable time doing all the things that someone has to do before you can start building the "3 page website" that your client purchased.

In addition to that, it has been my experience that frequently the same client who is so concerned about price that they'll go else where if they can't see it listed, is the same person who needs hours and hours of hand holding. People who understand the value of what they're purchasing are frequently less motivated by the lowest price and are more concerned about demonstrated quality.

If your looking for a way around this dilemma you could always post your hourly rate and say to contact you for an estimate of hours. At that point your acknowledging that fact that your creating a custom solution based on the changing needs of your clients and not just selling one-size-fits-all boxed websites. Trust me, if your potential client is more worried about price than quality your better of that they go else where because they think your too expensive.

Well said, graphixboy! I use the method you're talking about where I post my hourly and then give people an estimate once I figure out their situation.

Incidentally, I'm working with Client B right now (and have been for waaaay too long), except he also needs me to organize his inventory. When I walked through his shop, he gestured at a shelf crammed with miscellaneous items and said, "So.. all this stuff will be on the website..." If I wasn't charging him hourly, I'd go nuts.. lol

Very well said graphixboy This is how I do it too.

Most of the time when I see prices for a website, you're butying a template with a homemade cms. The put your text on the site for free and there you go.

The process of making a good website for a client is a lot more complicated than that.